Rebecca Burton, U of Toronto
The 1990s and Beyond: Feminist Theatre Activity in British Columbia

Last year I presented a paper entitled “Getting to the 1990s: Some Early History on Contemporary Feminist Theatre Companies in British Columbia.” This year, I would like to present what is, in effect, a second part of that paper. Picking up where I left off, the general objective of this paper is simply to uncover and document the practice of feminist theatre in the province of British Columbia during “the 1990s and beyond.” Having established with my first paper that there is both a history and a tradition of contemporary feminist theatre in the province, this time around, I will be examining the legacy of that tradition by looking at the shape of the feminist theatre movement today. I ask, who is it that continues to make feminist theatre, why do they do so, and what form (or forms) does it take? In answering these questions I will focus specifically on companies and festivals that identify and define themselves as feminist. Starting in 1989 with the founding of Ruby Slippers Theatre and the Women in View Festival, I will then proceed chronologically through the decade into the 21st century, citing specific examples of feminist theatre activity along the way. As part of my analysis, I will attempt to characterize the nature of the theatre, the concomitant ideological underpinnings, and the cultural impact/political efficacy of the work. In sum, this paper is the second installment of a first attempt toward a history of contemporary feminist theatre activity in British Columbia.